Predestination Fact, Fiction, or Fate - 1726 Words

Since the beginning of documented history there has been a debate on whether mankind was born with the ability to make decisions, or if every action was already decided. For instance, if someone was to decide to go to the grocery store and was in a car accident and died, was it because they decided to go to the grocery store at that exact moment in time or because that was part of a bigger plan the whole time. Humans have always wanted to believe in something bigger than them and that can be seen as far back as the Mesopotamian cultures with the worshipping of gods. Predestination is a concept which most people take the side of free will or fate because people do not want to admit there may be a greater being that has total control and knowledge; however predestination is more that the decisions that are made are all a part of a greater picture and that people are following a path no matter what they choose. The idea of predestination is not one that is so easily grasped. Many people have different ideas and understandings of what predestination is and what it looks like. Predestination is merely the concept that God already knows every decision a person makes before they make it, and that they are following a path laid before them. This is hard for people to accept, especially those who do not believe in any supreme ruler or being. John Boykin, Baylor graduate with his masters in Divinity and professor at all six Southern Baptist Seminary Extension Centers, puts the viewShow MoreRelatedAn Analysis of The Appointment in Samarra Essay990 Words   |  4 Pagesnow when I was in the market-place I was jostled by a woman in the crowd and when I turned I saw it was Death that jostled me. She looked at me and made a threatening gesture; now, lend me your horse, and I will ride away from this city and avoid my fate. I will go to Samarra and there death will not find me. The merchant lent him his horse, and the servant mounted it, and he dug his spurs in its flanks and as fast as the horse could gallop he went. Then the merchant went down to the marketplaceRead More Religion and Economics in Robinson Crusoe and Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism2797 Words   |  12 Pagescontributing to capitalism were diligence in worldly callings or vocations and the notion of predestination (71). If indeed these religious factors did influence the rise of capitalism, it would make perfect sense that other cultural elements, such as literature, would reflect both Protestant and capitalist ideology. 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